Two Barbecue Sandwiches and A Date By Midnight
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: AU. Sara's best friend, Lisa, comes to the barbecue at the Lance's house and her older brother, Leonard, tags along. Little does Sara know that her old friend plans to play matchmaker...
1. Home Sweet Home

This is the list of songs that inspired the chapters in this fic. If you really want to get into the mood of the story, listen to these! :D

 _'Home Sweet Home'_ Motley Crue  
 _'Message in A Bottle'_ The Police  
 _'Jump'_ Van Halen  
 _'Never Surrender'_ Corey Hart  
 _'Brass in Pocket'_ Pretenders  
 _'I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)'_ Hall and Oates  
 _'You Got It (The Right Stuff)'_ NKoTB  
 _'Please Let Me Get What I Want'_ The Smiths  
 _'If You Leave'_ OCM  
 _'Alone'_ Heart  
 _'Take My Breath Away'_ Berlin  
 _'True'_ Spandau Ballet  
 _'It Must Be Love'_ Madness  
 _'Circle in The Sand'_ Belinda Carlisle  
 _'In Your Eyes'_ Peter Gabriel

xxxXxxx

 _You know I'm a dreamer, but my heart's of gold_  
 _I had to run away high, so I wouldn't come home low_  
 _Just when things went right, it doesn't mean they were always wrong  
Just take this song, and you'll never feel left all alone_

 _Take me to your heart, feel me in your bones_  
 _Just one more night and I'm comin' off this  
Long and winding road_

 _I'm on my way, I'm on my way  
Home sweet home_

\- Motley Crue 'Home Sweet Home'

xxxXxxx

"Why can't I skip this year?"

"Because, Sara, Mom and Dad haven't seen you since Christmas, that's why. It's been three months. For them, that's like three years."

"I told them that school keeps me busy. Isn't that a reasonable explanation for not coming to visit? It's not as if I was **never** planning to come, and anyway, I can't just drive down here and stay the weekend every month." Sara scowled and crossed her arms. Sometimes, she felt like her parents were a little too clingy with her, especially since she was their youngest child.

A knowing smile spread across Laurel's features. "Sara, you and I both know the real reason you don't visit often. You're afraid that Mom and Dad will try to set you up with someone."

"Bingo! Who needs that kind of headache? Not me. I'm doing just fine on my own as a single woman. If I get a boyfriend, I lose my freedom and I have to put aside time for the two of us. I'm not ready for that. And it sounds so boring and tedious. They already have one daughter who's sold her life away. Why do they want me to do the same? No offence," Sara added quickly, when she realized that she just insulted her older sister.

Laurel just laughed and shook her head. She knew that Sara was merely frustrated by their parents incessant need to set her up on blind dates. Honestly, it was pretty ridiculous. They could never take no for an answer. It was just their way of being parents. They wanted the best for their daughters, even though what they wanted for the girls wasn't neccessarily what Laurel or Sara wanted.

"No offence taken, little sis. Tommy and I actually have a pretty breezy relationship with each other. It's anything but boring and tedious. In fact, our relationship has gotten so much better, now that Dad has finally accepted Tommy as my boyfriend."

Sara nodded and blew on the passenger window, drawing a smiley face on it. "Yeah, I was the last person to think that would happen. Dad has always hated the Merlyn family, even before we were born."

Laurel tapped her fingers on the wheel of her car and turned onto the street where their parents' house was located. "Mmhm. I think, because of how bad Malcolm Meryln is, Dad just figured Tommy would be just as bad, like father, like son. He underestimated Tommy, though. There's not a drop of Malcolm in his blood. The only thing they share are their looks. Tommy's heart is the same as his mother's."

It was the truth too. Malcolm Meryln's wife was a kind, loving soul and when she died, Malcolm Merlyn became an unscrupulous businessman with ruthless tactics who cared for no one but himself. It was a miracle Tommy hadn't turned out to be a horrible person like his father was.

Years later, after he grew up, Tommy cut ties with his father due to Malcolm's heartless nature and was now the manager of a nightclub in the Glades called Verdant. He had done well for himself, considering that he could have stayed with his father's company without having to do any hard work. Tommy chose his conscience over money, and that was one of the things which attracted Laurel to him. A billionaire 'trustafarian' with a heart of gold? You don't witness that every day.

They pulled in the driveway of the Lance house and Dinah and Quentin were already outside, waving at their two daughters. Sara sighed and gave her parents a smile as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. "I just hope they didn't decide to throw this barbecue as a means to get me a boyfriend."

Laurel chuckled and patted Sara's hand and whispered, "If they did, I'll scare him off. Sisters have to look out for each other, right?"

Both girls shared a mutual wink before getting out of Laurel's car and hugging their parents. Dinah Lance gave Sara a warm hug and Sara couldn't help but sigh happily as she and her mother embraced. "I've missed you so much, sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm good, Mom. I've missed you too~" As much as her parents drove her crazy, Sara still felt like their little girl whenever they hugged her. Quentin gave her a kiss on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her once her mother released her.

"How's school going? You're not wasting our money by partying all night instead of studying, are you?" Quentin said playfully.

"No, Dad. Come on. You know I'm not about that life anymore." Sara gave him a grin and went to get her duffle bag out of the car. Since she was only staying for the weekend, Sara kept her packing light. Although, she still had some clothes inside her old dresser in the house if she ran out of the ones she'd brought with her.

All four of the Lance family walked inside the house, chatting as they went. Sara inquired as to who else was coming to the barbecue.

"You remember my partner, Curtis Hilton and his wife, Jeannie? They're coming over in an hour or so and a few of your aunts and uncles. Oh, a few of your friends will be here, too. They all basically invited themselves over when they heard you were visiting."

" _Forced_ to visit you mean, Dad," Sara responded, a smirk on her face as she put her duffel bag on her old bed.

Quentin laughed and waved his hand. "Ah, tomato, tamahto. I'm just glad you're here, that's all. You know you can hole up in your room if you don't want to speak to anyone, but your mother wants you to stick around the backyard for at least an hour. You can't be inhospitable. After all, this barbecue _is_ for you."

Point well made. Sara nodded at her parents and smiled. "Don't worry. I promise to be on my best behaviour. I'll eat and mingle around, but I hope you didn't invite any of those creepy guys from the precinct to chat me up..."

Dinah cleared her throat and twisted her wedding ring awkwardly. "No. I had a long talk with your father about that and we won't be setting you up with any blind dates. The last one was a disaster."

Quentin balked at that admission and crossed his arms. "Okay, hold on a minute. Lieutenant Breyton was not that bad. Sure he may have been a little rough around the edges, but-"

A snort came from Laurel and she shook her head. "Dad, 'little' does not describe Lieutenant Breyton. He wanted to have Sara fingerprinted before their date. That's extreme and disturbing. Seriously, who would do something like that on their first date or _on_ a date at all?"

Quentin narrowed his eyes. "I would, actually. You have to be careful with the crazy lunatics that are out there these days. It's different than when your mother and I were dating."

Dinah tittered and patted her husband's arm. He just didn't get it. Sometimes men really were clueless, especially when it came to the weirdness level of their own sex. "Well, thank God you didn't try fingerprinting me when we first started dating, or I would have given you the boot!" She turned to Sara and gave her another hug. "You've had a long trip, honey. Take a shower and relax for an hour. We'll start the barbecue at four."

"Okay," Sara replied, smirking as her dad followed her mom downstairs, asking her why she thought that fingerprinting was so weird for a first date. It was good to be home.

Laurel sat on the edge of Sara's bed and gave her a secretive smile. Sara knew that mischievous look. She'd seen it many times as a child, as she grew up with Laurel. The way her lips curved, she looked like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

Sara eyed Laurel suspiciously and crossed her arms. "What are you up to...?"

"Guess what special guest is coming to the barbecue later?"

"Well, I don't think it would be the Pope...or is it?" Sara made a mocking expression of glee and Laurel pushed her face away, laughing at her silliness. She really had missed their times together. It wasn't the same when they skyped each other or texted. They needed personal time, like they were having at the moment.

"No, you goofball. Lisa Snart said she wanted drop by and say hello~"

Now there was a good piece of news that Sara was happy to hear. Lisa Snart and she were as thick as thieves in high school. They had been best friends years ago and spent nearly every day of the week at each other's house. Sara and Lisa had stayed in contact up until eight months ago, when Lisa took a trip to Spain. It had something to do with her job. Lisa was a self-made entrepreneur who had opened her new operating headquarters in Madrid.

"So she's finally back from Spain? Good. I've missed seeing her face."

"Yeah. Lisa has been back for a couple of weeks. I think she's got herself a penthouse in the city. Oh, and she said she has a gift to bring you. Something about a mutual promise the two of you made in high school?"

A promise? Sara's brow furrowed as she searched her memory for any promises made between she and Lisa when they were teens. Oh, yeah. Now she remembered. It was the last day of high school, actually, at their graduation. Sara and Lisa had both sworn that if either of them traveled to a country in Europe, they would buy the first thing they saw that reminded them of each other. It was a silly promise, but apparently, Lisa still considered it a serious thing.

"We made a promise that, whichever one of us traveled to a country in Europe, would buy the other something. I think we were both kind of drunk when we agreed to do that, too...it was at Felicity's end of high school party. Remember?"

Laurel widened her eyes and nodded her head slowly. "It would be hard not to remember that party. It got completely out of control and Dad was one of the cops who responded to the neighbour's call about the noise level. Your face was so red whn Dad brought you home. I'm not sure I'd ever seen you so embarrassed before. It was kind of a nice change."

A grimace spread across Sara's face and she began taking out a change of clothes from her duffel bag. Any kid whose cop dad had to bust a party that they were attending while drunk out of their mind would always be embarrassing to them, no matter how old they got. Talk about a moment of shame. Sara could still recall her dad's angry face as he told her how disappointed he was in her. It didn't help that Sara ended up puking in the car as he was taking her home either. It was months before Laurel let her live that down.

Laurel clapped to get Sara's attention and the blonde looked up from her reverie. "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"

"I said I'll leave so you can take a shower. We'll catch up more later, okay?"

"Sure."

Once Laurel closed Sara's door, Sara picked up the clothes she'd chosen to wear and went to her bathroom. Before she changed out of her clothing, her phone began to vibrate in her back pocket. Sara took the phone out and smiled when she realised who was texting her.

 _Lisa: Hey. How are you?_

 _Sara: Good. I'm glad to hear that you're back in the city! Laurel said you were coming to the barbecue and that you have a present for me?_

 _Lisa: Yup. I bet you forgot allll about that._

 _Sara: Well, duh. We were pretty drunk at that party. I'm surprised you remembered everything we said._

 _Lisa: Haha. I have an eidetic memory, babe. It runs in the family. Anyway, yes, I have a surprise for you and I think you will like it._

 _Sara: I can't hardly wait to see it, but seeing you will be even better._

 _Lisa: Oh, I don't know. This is a really, really good surprise._

 _Sara: Dang it. Now you're making me anxious. Care to give me a guess?_

 _Lisa: Lol, nope. You'll just have to wait and see when it comes._

 _Sara: Oh, well. I can be patient._

 _Lisa: I know you can. And in this case, I think you'll be happy with what I bring you. Tata for now~_

Sara turned off her phone and set it on the little shelf rack over the toilet. She grinned to herself as she removed her clothing and stepped into the warm water. When Lisa Snart came bearing gifts, people were never disappointed. Sara wondered what it was her old friend would be bringing...

xxxXxxx

Lisa Snart pressed the off button on her iPhone and smirked to herself. She indeed had a surprise for Sara, but it wasn't a single surprise. This specific surprise came in two parts. One was the gorgeous dress Lisa had bought Sara while she was in Spain, the other was...well, a bit more of a flesh and blood type of surprise. Lisa turned her head and called out, "Lenny! I have an enormous favour to ask you..."

xxxXxxx

 **I know there was zero interaction between Sara and Len in this chapter, but I had to create the setting for the story first! Don't worry, though! The next chapter will have plenty of Captain Canary content!**


	2. Hungry Eyes

_In which Leonard and Sara have a not-so-innocent reunion in her bedroom._

xxxXxxx

 _I've been meaning to tell you, I've got this feelin' that won't subside_  
 _I look at you and I fantasise, you're mine tonight_  
 _Now I've got you in my sights_

 _With these hungry eyes; one look at you and I can't disguise_  
 _I've got hungry eyes; I feel the magic between you and I_

\- Eric Carmen 'Hungry Eyes'

xxxXxxx

Leonard really had no idea what he was doing here. Lisa had begged him to accompany her to a barbecue at her old friend, Sara Lance's house and he agreed so she would stop making those pouty faces at him.

"Come on, Lenny! Don't be a buzzkill! Sara is my friend and I'm sure that she wouldn't mind you coming over! I know you don't have any plans this afternoon, so you have no excuse to not be there!" Lisa had been determined to get him to this barbecue, as if it were the most important thing in the world. He had to give her points for her persuasiveness. She never gave up until she got what she wanted.

Leonard loved his little sister, so he said yes. Also, there's not much you can do when your little sister follows you all over your condo until you're so worn down that you agree just so you can have some peace.

Even though she exasperated him at times, Leonard missed having Lisa around. He wasn't too much of a social guy and being the CFO of Lisa's company kept him busy enough that he never really had the time for a social life. His best friend and bodyguard, Mick Rory, was always around whenever Leonard needed to go out and chill. They frequented the Saints and Sinners Bar in Central City when Leonard felt like escaping the world's notice. And, being a smaller, back alley kind of bar, Saints and Sinners provided him with the anonymity that Leonard craved.

Leonard didn't live in Star City anymore, but, like his sister, he did own a condo in the wealthier part of town. Lisa would try to get him to go to parties with her or meet new people and he acquiesced every once in a while. But Leonard wasn't into the party scene and the people that tended to be at the parties Lisa wanted him to go to were usually assholes. Leonard may be pretty well off himself but he wasn't a stuck-up prick like most of the elite in Star City.

After their no-good father abandoned them, Leonard was forced to get two jobs, while he was in college, to provide for his mother and sister. It was a stroke of luck that Lisa was offered a chance to be a transfer student in Spain two years ago. It wasn't long before her clothing designs caught the eye of a famous fashion designer.

Lisa was always able to charm anyone into doing things for her and, sure enough, she had the backing of the famous designer guy and several other designers who agreed to showcase her work in a high end fashion show. Every piece featured was sold and soon enough, Lisa graduated and received a million dollar loan to start up her own company. She didn't forget about her big brother, though.

Once her business started to pick up, she hired Leonard as her coo. He did have a degree in finance and a masters in business, so that was right up his alley. Lisa sometimes teased that he worked for her, but he didn't mind. Leonard would sooner work with his sister than most of the idiots out there in the world. He trusted her and she trusted him. Theirs may have been an employer-employee relationship, but in the Snarts' minds, it was more like an equal partnership.

Life had been good to Leonard so far, but there was something missing. He didn't have a special someone in his life, no one he could come home to. There was an empty space in his life and he didn't like it.

Even Lisa had managed to find happiness with Mick, which was a big surprise to Leonard, but if they could be happy, so could he. Still, he was out of practice at the dating scene. And, to put it mildly, Leonard wasn't sure if he had the patience to go out looking for someone. With the job he had, finding a woman who genuinely liked him from who was and not his money would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

"Lenny! Stop daydreaming and get out of the car!" Lisa's voice alerted him to the people approaching them. He rolled his eyes as Lisa rubbed his arm and pulled him towards an older middle-aged couple who looked very familiar. He recognized them as Quentin and Dinah, Sara Lance's parents.

Even though Leonard didn't see much of the couple - Lisa spent a lot of time at their house with their daughter Sara, who this barbecue was being thrown for; he just dropped the two girls off back and forth at their perspective houses - he always stopped to greet them whenever he saw them.

Leonard walked over to them, give them both a smile and a handshake. "Quentin, Dinah, it's been a long time."

Quentin laughed and looked at his wife. "Yeah, it really has. I hope you've been watching out for this one. I remember that she used to be quite the wild one when she was younger." He motioned to Lisa with a mischievous grin in his eyes.

Lisa gasped mockingly and lightly hit Quentin on the arm. "You know that is totally unfair, Mr. Lance. I am a changed woman, just like Sara. We both have shed our reckless streaks and are now respectable members of society."

They all were silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. Dinah pulled Lisa into a hug and rubbed her back warmly. "See, I knew there was a reason we loved having you over! You still talk like someone twice your age!"

Lisa blushed and squeezed Dinah's hand. It felt good to be accepted by such caring people, even after being away for years. It was as if no time had passed at all. Lisa's eyes grew a little shiny and she wiped the tears away before they spilled down her cheeks.

"Thanks, Mrs. Lance! Well, my English teacher in college was a stickler for proper grammar. It's gotten to be a habit for me, talking like this! But enough about me! Where is the lady of the hour? I have a gift for her!"

Lisa pulled out a wrapped box in the department store bag she held and showed it to the Lances. "It's the fulfillment of an old promise between the two of us girls!"

Quentin's eyes squinted and he took a sip of his beer. "I think I know what promise you're talking about to. Is it the one you both made on the night I busted Felicity Smoak's high school graduation party?"

A grin spread across Lisa's lips and she blinked coyly, her eyelashes fluttering innocently. "Why, I don't know what you mean..."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you don't. Sara's upstairs in her room. As a matter of fact, I was about to go get her and bring her down, but since you're here, you can go up and surprise her. She'd like that. More people have started to arrive and the chicken is cooking. That reminds me. I gotta check on them and make sure it's not burnt. Leonard, you want to come help an old man?"

Leonard smiled and he stepped forward to go with Quentin into the backyard. "Definitely. It's been a while since I've had genuine barbecue."

Lisa ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "Ohhh, no you don't! First, you have to come with me and say hi to Sara! She'll be happy to see you too! I don't think you've seen her in five years, because the last time was at that...party." She made a purposely furtive glance towards the Lances and they laughed again at Lisa's unstoppable vivacity.

Leonard shook his head, unable to understand why his little sister was so excited about Sara seeing him. "I think you're placing too much value on my importance, Lisa. I'm pretty sure that you are the one person that Sara wants to see. She and I weren't really friends. She and I are eight years apart, same as you and me. I was kind of the unofficial big brother she never had."

Lisa ignored him and tugged him along with her as they entered the Lance household. "Oh, please. What does that matter? She'll still be happy to see you regardless, so stop being such a sourpuss~"

Lisa ran up the stairs ahead of Len and set the box she had been holding down outside of the bathroom. She called down to her brother. "Hey, Lenny! I have to pee! Can you put this in Sara's room for me? Thanks!"

"Sure." Leonard walked up the stairs and picked up the box, then he turned right and left, unsure of which room was Sara's. Obviously, he'd never been in Sara's room, even when he came to get Lisa after their many sleepovers, so he had no clue where to go. It would be awkward if he went back outside to ask Quentin or Dinah which room belonged to Sara - plus, that would sound kind of creepy - so he just walked over to the nearest door and knocked on it.

"Sara? Hello?" There was no response, and after a few seconds, Leonard slowly opened the door. He poked his head in and he had a feeling that he chose the right room. The furnishings and decorations were a bit spare, but there was a poster of Sara and Lisa together on a wall above a dresser. Leonard stepped in cautiously, as if he were afraid to awaken some deadly beast. He walked over to the white and red embroidered bedspread and placed the box on the mattress.

Then he turned and looked down. There was an unusual rug with an image of a bird in flight lying in the middle of the room. Leonard furrowed his brow and he slowly began to realise that it was a white canary. He remembered suddenly that Sara always had a thing for white canaries. It was one of her quirks. Come to think of it, hadn't Sara written an advice article in her high school newspaper called the 'White Canary'?

The door closed and Leonard's eyes blinked at the sound. He looked up and saw that a young woman with long blonde hair had entered the room, with earphones on as she danced to the beat of unheard music playing on her iPod. It was obvious that the woman was Sara, herself. Leonard opened his mouth to say something when the blonde shimmied out of her yellow sleeveless dress and continued shaking her hips to music with her eyes closed.

Now, Leonard wasn't a pervert by any means, but he was a red-blooded American male who had a great appreciation for the female form. He liked what he saw. Sara had definitely grown up. The way those hips moved...damn, if it wasn't intoxicating to watch. Leonard hadn't felt so drawn to a woman before in his whole life. It took him a few seconds to shake himself before he realised that Sara had unhooked her bra and was just about to take it off.

In a panic, he abruptly shouted, "Stop!"

Sara frowned and her arms stilled from behind her back. She opened her eyes and screamed bloody murder when she saw Leonard. She tossed the iPod on her bed and grabbed a baseball bat that rested against her dresser. Leonard held his hands out, waving them wildly to show her that he wasn't any danger.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get in my room?!" Sara screeched, swinging the bat towards him. Leonard ducked and twisted out of her reach.

"Wait! Look, Sara, it's me! Leonard Snart! Lisa's older brother? You know, I used to pick you both up and drop you off at our houses for sleepovers when you were little?"

Sara's eyes squinted and she began to lower the baseball bat. Leonard watched he as her eyes widened in recognition and she dropped the bat to the ground. Her hands covered her mouth and she started laughing. "Oh, my goodness! I thought you were some kind of deranged lunatic rapist or something!"

Laughter began to spill from Leonard's mouth too once he was certain he was safe from Sara's wrath and her baseball bat. He was no wimp, though. He was a third degree black belt and he was very adept at marksmanship, but when a woman was mad, you'd be surprised just how deadly she could be.

Sara's hands rubbed her stomach as her laughter slowly decreased, the adrenaline leaving her body. She stepped closer to him and smiled. "It really is you, Len! Wow, your hair, it's different!"

"Yeah. I keep it short like this. Makes it easier to take care of."

Sara's hand touched Leonard's hair and he let her. Her touch was warm and inviting. He still couldn't believe his eyes. Gone was the little girl who ran around his house in pigtails, eating pretzels and playing hide 'n go seek with Lisa. Sara Lance was a woman now, a beautiful one at that.

"So I see," she replied. "You've become lazy in your old age~"

Leonard smirked, his voice low as he said, "And you grown more lovely, Sara... _very_ lovely."

Sara stepped forward and gave Leonard a big hug, squeezing him tight. "Thank you, Len. You're too sweet!"

Leonard wasn't sure why, but he felt an uncommon surge of happiness when Sara embraced him. Maybe it was nostalgia hitting him in the face. Who knew? All Leonard did know, was that Sara Lance felt so warm and soft in his arms. She hugged him like they were close friends who had just been reunited after a long absence. Before he knew what he was doing, he placed a kiss on her head and rubbed circles on her back. That was when he realised she was still in her underwear.

Leonard's hands froze and pulled away from Sara's unbelievably smooth skin. Everything in him screamed to keep holding her, but he resisted. Although, not **every** part of him resisted. Sara gasped when she felt a certain hardness against her thigh. A red blush grew onto her cheeks as she backed up and gave Leonard an awkward smile.

"OH, um...sorry about that. I, uh...I forgot to put some clothes on. Lemme just go...do that." She turned to her dresser and hurriedly began pulling out a change of clothes while trying not to look back at him. Leonard nodded wordlessly, not trusting his voice.

 _'Or you could just take your underwear off instead,'_ replied his lustful subconscious. Damn it. Just had to go there.

Sara had a handful of clothes in her arms when she turned towards him and said, "I'm going to change in my closet. You just wait right here. I'll be out in a hot second!" Her lips quivered slightly and her gaze moved south to Leonard's arousal. He watched her swallow hard and flee to the safety of her closet.

When Sara closed her closet door, he took his jacket off and sat on her bed. It was too hot in the room now. Thanks to those hormones that decided to start kicking in. If Mick could see him now, he'd be laughing his ass off for sure. Leonard breathed deeply and evenly, trying to forget how nice Sara felt in his arms. He definitely didn't feel like a big brother towards her now.

 _What a reunion._


	3. Take on Me

_Sara, Len and Lisa talk and a surprise guest receives an angry greeting from Sara._

xxxXxxx

 _Oh, things that you say, yeah—_  
 _Is it life or just to play my worries away?_  
 _You're all the things I've got to remember_  
 _You're shying away_  
 _I'll be coming for you anyway_

\- A-HA 'Take On Me'

xxxXxxx

In her closet, Sara dressed quickly, as if her life depended on it. She had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. She couldn't stop thinking about how nice it was to feel Leonard's hot, hard body pressed up against her own. She shook her head once the thought came to her mind.

 _'Get a grip, Sara! This is Leonard Snart, your best friend's older brother and, for all intents and purposes, he is like a big brother to you! Yeah, hugging him while in your bra and panties was...awkward, but those kind of things happen to other people. Sometimes. Maybe.'_

Sara was already dressed, but she leaned back against the closet door and tried to get her breathing under control. Now, Leonard Snart is not the type of guy who usually got Sara's blood boiling. The kind of men she liked were a bit different - well, her type used to be the handsome playboy Oliver Queen, whom she dated in high school, but she dumped him when she found out that he had been cheating on her with an annoying techie geek by the name of Felicity Smoak.

Ridiculous and off subject. Get it together, girl.

Considerable time had passed before Sara opened the closet door, slowly, peeking her head out like a little kid sneaking back into the house after midnight. It was ridiculous and absurd, especially since Leonard had already seen her in her underwear - she tried her best to ignore the warm, tingly sensation she got just thinking about it.

 _'The best way to respond is to keep it natural. Don't betray yourself and let him know what you're feeling at the moment.'_

It still took ten minutes for Sara to actually open the door all the way. Embarrassing? Yes, very. And when she did open the door, there he was, sitting in her bed with a sheepish expression on his face. It was impossibly adorable and endearing.

She cleared her throat and stepped out of the closet, walking over to him, gauging his reaction cautiously. "...So, hi again."

"Oh! Hey..." His voice was soft, as if he were afraid she would react badly after what transpired between them a few moments earlier.

Leonard Snart acting bashful was very out of character, yet strangely alluring for some reason. Sara shook her head again. There would be time to analyse why she was so drawn to Leonard later. As she came closer, her eyes took notice of a colourfully wrapped package in his hands.

"Is, uh...is that for me?"

"Yeah. It is. Lisa, she...she bought it for you when she was in Spain. Something about a promise the two of you made in high school?"

She motioned Leonard to sit back down on her bed and he did, as did she. "Geez, I was surprised that she remembered it. We were kind of wasted at the time, but Lisa has always been able to hold her liquor better than me."

Leonard snorted. He was quite aware of his little sister's wild partying nature. She and Sara shared that trait in abundance all throughout high school, but now, they were responsible adults.

"Those are words every brother wants to hear. Seriously, though, Sara. The two of you have really grown from the wild childs you used to be. You're both doing something with your lives and I know all our parents are proud...so am I."

Those words hit Sara in the heart and she blinked rapidly, doing her best to keep the tears at bay. She took Leonard's hand in her own and gave it a friendly squeeze. "Thank you so much, Leonard. I appreciate that."

"Any time."

Despite her effort to stop them, tears did roll down Sara's face and dripped onto her lap. Sara knew it was silly but she blushed and reached to wipe the wetness away from her cheeks. Intercepting her fingers, Leonard brushed the tears with a blue handkerchief. Sara laughed lightly and covered his hand for a second, before taking the cloth in her own hand to look at it.

"No way. You use handkerchiefs now? That is so old school, but it's still cute, Len."

That pet name made Leonard's lips spread into a wide smile. It pleased him that Sara felt comfortable enough with him to call him that. No one else had ever called him 'Len', only Sara. That knowledge made him pretty happy as it was.

"Well, that's me. You have to embrace class some way. Distinction and prestige are very important." He spoke in a mocking tone, to let her know he was teasing.

"Oh, God. You sound like my snobby Aunt Virginia." Sara nudged his knee with her own playfully. He grinned in response and they smiled at each other. Then the corner of Sara's lips drooped as she looked, really looked in Leonard's eyes. There was something that spoke of such pain there, in the depths. Odd. Sara wondered what could make Leonard Snart so sad like that. She began to speak, but he interrupted her and pointed to her box.

"Well, are you going to open it? I'm sure it's amazing, whatever it is she bought you."

Okay. So he didn't want to talk about it. Sara reminded herself to get him alone and talk to him, so she could get to the bottom of why he liked so unhappy. From what she remembered of Leonard, he didn't like to talk about his feelings. She'd probably have to get him a drink of some sort to get him to confide in her.

Call her cocky or impudent, but she had a knack for helping people release their deeply protected secrets. Sara could tell that Leonard had a lot to talk about and she would listen. Until then, she would indulge him and focus on the gift his sister brought for her. "Knowing Lisa, it's probably some kind of clothing of a pair of shoes. She and I were always in sync when it came to clothes and fashion..."

Sara's fingers ripped the wrapping paper off quickly, gasping when she saw the Ralph Lauren logo and she opened the box, beyond excited to see what resided in it. She gasped. It was a lovely black dress with a v neck and a beautiful pattern that, in itself, was very Spanish.

"Oh my God! This is so beautiful!" Sara pulled the lovely dress out of the box and held it to her body, swaying it left and right. If she were a more excitable person, she would have started squealing and jumping around, but Leonard was present and she'd already embarrassed herself enough today.

"I can't believe she bought me a Ralph Lauren dress! I've never owned anything by a big designer like this! It must have cost a fortune!"

"Not a fortune, per se, but it did wipe out my wallet pretty good. Luckily, I have my own business, so the bank wasn't completely depleted."

Both Sara and Leonard turned at the voice and Sara ran over to Lisa, hugging her tightly. The girls laughed and greeted each other as if no time had passed from the last time they saw each other. Leonard could've help smiling as he watched their happy reunion.

"Lisa, thank you so much for this dress! It's so beautiful, but I have no idea where I would wear this! I spend a lot of time in my dorm and the parties that happen at my job aren't exactly this extravagant!"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll find a way for you to wear it and even if I can't, you could put this on when you go shopping or to school. You know, make an impression on everyone who sees you. Maybe you'd even get a few cell numbers..." Lisa whispered this part conspiratorially, but loud enough for Leonard to hear.

Sara blushed furiously as her eyes darted from Leonard to Lisa. Her friend wore a mischievous smirk on her face and Sara pinched her arm in annoyance. "Lisa, I told you that I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

The brunette sighed and tossed her hair over her shoulder and put her hand on the side of her face. "Fine then. Have it your way. Sometimes, I just don't know what to do with you!"

Before Sara could reply, her mother, Dinah, came up and walked into her room. "I have to agree with you, Lisa. Sara, your guests are all here. You need to come downstairs and greet them."

A small sigh left Sara's lips and she hung up her dress in her closet. "Alright, I'll come down, but only for an hour! I have stuff to do tonight."

Dinah's eyes narrowed and her hand situated itself on her hip. She was used to that excuse from her daughter before and the end result was never a good one. "I hope the 'stuff' you plan to do doesn't include carousing with your old high school friends."

Sara groaned. "Mom, I swear, I am totally and completely over with that life. The only person I kept in contact with from school is Lisa and you approve of her. She's like the third daughter you never had, so chill, okay?"

"Okay, sweetie. I'll take your word for it. Remember, though, mothers always find out."

"I'm in fear for my life, mom. Really."

"Saucy child. Hurry up and show your face so your dad can show his little girl off." Dinah poked Sara's arm and turned to go back downstairs. Sara rolled her eyes and followed her.

"I guess I'd better get this over with so I can leave as soon as possible. Come on, you two. If I have to suffer through the probing questions of my family and friends, you can too."

Lisa and Leonard shared a mutual playful grimace and they all went downstairs and out to the backyard together.

* * *

Contrary to what Sara had previously assumed, her friends and family didn't act particularly nosy or rude. She suspected that her parents must have warned everyone that Sara was much changed since the last time they saw her or remembered her and that she hated gossips. It was true, though. She really did hate gossips. That was the reason why most of her high school friends ended up on her 'never call or speak to again' list. Unlike the Bowling For Soup song, high does end.

Leonard watched Lisa and Sara chat up one of Sara's aunts, an Aunt Catherine, he thought was her name? All three women were having a energetic conversation from what he could see. It had been well over an hour, reaching three hours now, that Sara had stayed outside with her friends and family.

 _'She missed them more than she thought,'_ he mused to himself. _'She missed me too, which is surprising, but I'm glad for it all the same.'_

Leonard never spent a lot of time hanging around Sara when they were younger. The age gap was too wide; she was the same age as his little sister. Even though friendships came in many different forms, it would have been the very inappropriate for Len to be friends with a girl eight years his junior.

Anyway, he had been too busy with his job and school to think about befriending a little kid because that's what Sara was at time. However, now she was a grown woman, a very attractive woman whom he found himself wanting to know more and more as time passed. If only he could get her alone for a while, talk to her, pick her brain and find out what she'd been up to these past few years. Leonard was aware that Sara had a job writing, but he didn't know what as. Ad writer? Columnist? Film reviewer? Maybe he'd be able to pull her away from his sister and they could have a moment together.

"Thanks again for the barbecue recipe, Quentin," he said to Sara's father. The older man gave him a pat on the back.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Just never show it to anyone else in Star City or Central City...or any other city. I can't let the word get out that I'm heading off the Lance family recipes to people. You wouldn't believe how many requests and the downright embarrassing things people have done to get me and Dinah to give away our family secrets. It's pathetic, but pretty damn funny."

"I'm sure you've had your fill of greedy people who want to steal your family recipes. In the business world, people are very untrustworthy and unscrupulous. I've learned that even more after working with Lisa for the past few years."

Quentin nodded and took a bite of a pickle. "I'm just glad that Dinah decided not to open her own restaurant. Most people in Star City know that she's an amazing cook, but owning and operating a business is no picnic. I think it would have really made her tired. And if she had opened a restaurant, she would have had to either close it or pass it one to one of her nieces or nephews, since Laurel and Sara have very different career paths in mind."

When Quentin said 'career paths', Leonard suddenly became more alert and he looked at the older man with renewed interest. Now would be his chance to find out what Sara's vocation was. The words never came out, though, because of the appearance of another guest to the party. A black limousine drove up to the Lance driveway and someone stepped out. Leonard's eyes darkened as he realised who the person was. Oliver Queen. Sara's ex-boyfriend.

With a quick glance at Quentin and Dinah's faces, Leonard knew that they hadn't invited him to the barbecue, and why would they? After the shoddy way which Oliver treated Sara, dumping her for that annoying geek Felicity, no one in the Lance family - and no one who were close friends of the Lance family - liked Oliver Queen anymore. Oliver was just a rich pretty boy who was handed everything he owned on a silver platter. He never had to work for anything in his life and it disgusted Leonard, who had to work for what he had. Oliver Queen was an insult to the people who slaved and sweat blood and tears to make a good living. He used people for whatever he could get from them and then threw them away like useless pieces of paper.

Sara had caught a glimpse at the limousine but ignored it at first. Then Lisa touched her elbow and pointed wordlessly towards the vehicle again. Sara frowned and turned her head, then froze her movement when she saw who the man standing in her parents' backyard was. Oliver had the gall to smile and he began making his way to Sara.

Leonard and Quentin both tensed as their eyes followed Oliver. This would not be good. They were too far away to intercept the situation, so the only thing they could do was watch.

Sara was still staring at Oliver as he finally stood in front of her. Her eyes were wide in outrage, but the rich playboy didn't notice. He was too busy smiling at her, as if he though she'd be, what, happy to see him here? The nerve.

"Sara...it's been so long. I'm glad you're back." Oliver reached out to her, probably to touch her hair, shoulder, who knew? He never got to touch her because Sara snapped to attention and lashed out, smacking her palm against Oliver's cheek.

Oliver staggered back and cradled the red flesh with a surprised and upset expression in his face. Who gave a damn? He had that slap coming for a long time. Leonard snorted and took a sip of his drink as Sara stamped off into the house. He touched Quentin's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, small it may have been, but still genuine.

"Don't worry, Quentin. I'll go and see if she's alright."

The other man nodded and eyed Oliver with an angry glint. His eyes never left the young billionaire and Leonard couldn't help but feel a slightly perverse sense of glee that Sara's father still disliked the man.

Leonard went into the Lance household with a pleased grin on his features. Sara was just making herself look better and better in his eyes. That slap was as nice thing to witness, too. Even though it wasn't accurate, Leonard felt sort of possessively proud of Sara in that moment. Even now, all he could think was, _'My kind of girl,'_ over and over again.

Yeah, he definitely had it bad.


	4. These Dreams

_Sara and Len talk and reminisce in Sara's bedroom._

xxxXxxx

 _Darkness on the edge, shadows where I stand_  
 _I search for the time on a watch with no hands_  
 _I want to see you clearly; come closer than this_  
 _But all I remember are the dreams in the mist_

 _These dreams go on when I close my eyes_  
 _Every second of the night I live another life_  
 _These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside_  
 _Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away_

\- Heart 'These Dreams'

xxxXxxx

Sara paced back and forth in her room, trying to get a handle on her emotions. She hadn't intended to slap Oliver, but the shock of seeing him again after nearly fours years was too much.

She felt a terribly humiliating sense of embarrassment after she exiled herself to her bedroom. God, it was like she was seventeen again at that damn party. Sara sat on her bed and laid back on it. She sighed, covering her eyes with her hands.

"People like to use the old adage, 'Time heals all wounds,' but I think they had no idea what the hell they were talking about when they came up with that line."

Turning her head to the door, Sara smiled at Leonard. She had a feeling that he'd come to cheer her up. It was nice to be proven right. Sara didn't bother getting up or telling him to come in. After the nice conversation they'd had earlier today, he had an unspoken invitation to enter her room.

Leonard walked over to her bed and sat on it, looking down at her with a curious expression. "So how long are you going to hide up here?"

With a start, Sara sat up and scowled. "What do you mean? I'm not hiding. I'm just...assessing the situation is all." She tried her best not to grimace once the words left her mouth. That was a really lame excuse for not wanting to go down and face Oliver, but she wasn't going to say so.

It was obviously amusing to Leonard, hearing her claim that she wasn't playing the cop-out card, but he still thought she was trying to protect herself in her own way. Not that he blamed her for doing such a thing. He knew very well how badly Oliver Queen had broken her heart. He remembered the night very clearly because seeing her precious boyfriend cheat on her with her good friend, Felicity, Sara had spent the night - and a good part of the day - at the Snart household.

Sara and Lisa had been at said friend's party and they had both been drunk silly after Leonard picked them up and took them home. Unfortunately for Sara, as drunk as she had been, she still managed to recall the image of Oliver and Felicity sprawled on top of Felicity's bed. Leonard remembered how, after he brought Lisa and Sara back home, Sara came into his room and just started talking to him.

Granted, most of what she said had been gibberish since she was drunk out of her mind, but a small part was as sober as it ever could be. Sara talked, Leonard listened. He only spoke when she stopped her sentences or looked at him expectantly, as if he should know when to chime in and respond.

Both of them talked about life and what they wanted out of it. For instance, Sara remembered that Leonard wanted to go into business. She told him that he would likely be great owning some kind of technologically based company. Leonard listened to Sara's desires to be a columnist like Dear Abby. She loved giving people advice and she told him that if she could get a column in a newspaper, she knew that she'd enjoy it. They both stayed awake for several more hours until Sara fell asleep on the left side of Leonard's bed.

Normally, Leonard didn't get women in his bed very often - okay, not at all, but in his defence, he hadn't met anyone that he'd even want to be with - and at the time, he thought, ruefully, how the first woman besides Lisa to actually sleep in his bed was her best friend, Sara - of course Lisa didn't count because she was his sister, but with Sara, it was different.

It was a good thing all the same. Leonard was not the kind of man who got entangled in passionate affairs and one night stands flippantly like some people. He was a guy who was in for the long haul and until he found the right woman, his bed would only have him in it. Still, with Sara filling the space next to him, Leonard couldn't help but feel a rush of protectiveness run through his body.

Oliver was supposed to treat Sara with dignity and respect. Instead, he sent her the message that she wasn't worth being with in a mutual, exclusive relationship. Complete devotion and commitment seemed to be something that the rich punk had no knowledge or care of and Leonard hated him for it.

Watching Sara sleep, Leonard marvelled at how peaceful she looked. Her hands were resting beside her head and her body, curled up in a fetal position, like a baby's. She was so serene and ethereal, but Leonard dreaded the moment when she woke to a brand new day, only to remember how her boyfriend cheated on her.

Leonard wasn't a touchy-freely kind of guy, but as he looked at Sara, his heart clenched. He wished that he could ease the pain for her. Now, in one way, he did make her feel better by spending the night talking to her. However, she wasn't completely lucid at the time. Come morning, with a hangover and the memories of the night before, things would be much more difficult.

It was crazy but Leonard had even considered giving her a kiss on the forehead as he watched her sleep. He always did it for Lisa whenever she was hurting so it wouldn't be any different with Sara. So he gave the sleeping blonde a brief kiss on her head, gently smoothing her bangs.

Perhaps it was a bit old fashioned, but Leonard had been taught to show courtesy towards women and revere them. He hated seeing little old ladies in the grocery store be pushed aside by young men who were too impatient to wait for them to move. It drove him crazy whenever he saw some guy yell at his wife or girlfriend in a public place. You could say that he was a gentleman at heart. That came about because of his no-good father, Lewis Snart, who abused his wife and children for many years before abandoning them when Len was thirteen years old.

Leonard and Lisa were lucky not to have become eternally scarred by the pain they suffered at the hands of their father. If it weren't for their mother, they may have never recovered from the abuse, but Leonard, Lisa and their mother went to therapy sessions once a week. The sessions each Saturday helped immensely, but for Leonard, he always kept a protective streak.

In the past when Lewis tried to bully or raise a hand to Lisa or their mother, Leonard stepped in and took the blows for them. The difficult home life that Leonard and Lisa experienced gave Leonard good cause to become a man who hated injustice in any form, particularly abuse towards women and children.

Now, he wouldn't go out and fight with anyone he saw being rude or hurtful to women, but he would step in and say something. It was always in his nature. The many fights he'd gotten in at school were solely because a bully hurt a little girl or a small boy on the playground.

Lisa used to tease him a lot about his becoming a lawyer since he had such a strong sense of justice and that, if he decided to go to law school, he could actually be a 'defender of the downtrodden'.

Truthfully, Len had thought about becoming a lawyer once, but he had no desire to go to law school and go through the agonising process it took to become one. It would have bored him out of his mind. Getting a degree in finances had been a good thing for him because he was very good when it came to managing money. He was always the saver in the family besides being the head of the household. Leonard was the one who kept the checkbook balanced and made sure that he, Lisa and their mother lived within their means and kept a good budget.

 _Those are the kind of qualities that **I'd** need in a man,_ Sara had mused to herself years ago when she thought about Leonard. She had never been one to keep her bank account full. It was always in a constant state of flux, much to her parents' chagrin. She was a lot better now when it came to managing her money, but she still had those spending tics that only another obsessive spenders would understand. Her attention went back to Leonard as he spoke up.

"Well, I don't think you should stay up here. You'll make everyone think that you're scared of Oliver and facing him again." Leonard was being a little pushy, yes, but only because he knew that she really wanted to settle things between she and Oliver and get closure. He was well aware of how a lack of closure could make a person feel empty inside.

"Geez, you aren't happy unless you're somebody's cheerleader aren't you, Snart?" Sara said sarcastically, a smile on her lips. She didn't have a problem with Leonard trying to help her. She knew that, sooner or later, she'd have to go downstairs and talk to Oliver. It just wasn't pleasant to be forced with making the decision since he had the nerve to show up to the party.

Leonard nudged her shoulder. "I actually prefer the term 'friend' instead. Cheerleader just doesn't have the same ring to it. It's kind of lame."

"I can work with that...but you know, I _was_ a cheerleader once in high school."

A burst of laughter came from Leonard's lips and Sara tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach when he laughed. He had such a beautiful laugh. It was hearty and melodic, full of color and vibrancy...

Clearly, she had acquired a bit of a crush on her best friend's brother.

 _No problem. Just don't look into his eyes too deeply or he'll figure it out. You don't have the time for a man in your life anyway, remember? You're trying to build a career for yourself_

 _._

"I actually remember that cheerleading outfit. Didn't it have blue stripes on it?" There was a trace of teasing in Leonard's voice, but Sara knew that he was in earnest about her outfit. His brow was furrowed and he scratched the back of his neck. It was the usual thing he did when he was trying to recall something.

"Mmhm. It had blue and green stripes. I hated it except for the green. Our football team was amazing, but our school colors were a joke. I'll go to my grave regretting that monstrosity."

"I thought you looked cute in it."

"Of course you did. You're a guy. You slobber all over yourself when you see a woman wearing a skirt." She nudged Leonard playfully. Having this moment with him, alone, made her think of those years ago when they spent the whole night just confiding in each other.

Even though Sara woke up with an intense hangover the next day, she could never forget what she and Leonard talked about in his room that night. It was etched forever in her memory. She had wanted to thank him for listening to her and being there for her, but she was always too shy to actually follow through with it.

"Not true at all. I may be a guy, but all guys don't ogle or drool. Those are two very repulsive habits. I prefer the term...admire."

He had always been so very slick with words. It honestly boggled Sara's mind that he never had a wife or a girlfriend. You'd think there'd be someone waiting for him. Some really lucky woman who lives with him and makes love to him and- **whoa**. Where did **that** thought come from? Sara's mind went back to the two delicious chicken sandwiches she'd eaten tonight. Too much barbecue. Definitely too much barbecue.

Sara shifted her body away from Leonard's, feeling a little too comfortable with how close he'd been sitting to her. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess it's okay with me. Admire is a nice compliment, after all."

"Good. Now go out there and tell that asshole what for."

Sara snorted. He really didn't forget about what he came to do, did he? She got off the bed and looked down at him, observing him. "Well, I'm not planning to go all Mike Tyson on him the way you did to those kids in high school...but I definitely won't mince words with him."

"Atta girl."

She stood up and held out her hand to Leonard. He took it and gave her an affectionate squeeze for further encouragement, smoothing his thumb over her knuckles. Who'd have thought that her best friend's older brother would be such an ally for her today? Sometimes life worked out to surprise you.

"Thanks, Leonard..." she said softly.

"Anytime, Sara," he replied, a smile on his lips.

Sara turned and leaned down, pressing her hand against his shoulder and gave Leonard a kiss on the cheek. Her thumb involuntarily brushed against his lower lip and her breath caught in her throat afterwards. Those intense blue eyes stared back into her equally blue orbs and Sara swallowed hard. Why was she drawn to him so? It was really infuriating and also...intoxicating. If he kept looking her over with those seductive glances, she might just end up falling into his arms.

xxxXxxx

 **If you haven't noticed by now, all of the chapter titles I used are names of popular eighties songs. ;)  
I know that there wasn't any interaction between Sara and Ollie in this chapter, but I wanted to have flirty moments between Sara and Len before getting down to the heavy angst in the next chapter!**


	5. Sara

_Sara and Oliver bury the hatchet and Sara makes a decision about Len._

xxxXxxx

 _Danger in the game when the stakes are high_  
 _Branded, my heart was branded while my senses stood by_

 _I'll never find another girl like you, for happy endings it takes two_  
 _We're fire and ice, the dream won't come true_

 _Sara, Sara, storms are brewin' in your eyes_  
 _Sara, Sara, no time is a good time for goodbyes_

\- Jefferson Starship 'Sara'

xxxXxxx

Sara shook off the strange feelings that ran through her when she thought of Leonard. This was silly! He was her best friend's older brother. There was no way she could think about him...that way. It would be weird and wrong to start having a romantic interest in Leonard Snart, wouldn't it? The steely resolve that Sara possessed was beginning to wear thin.

However, when she turned the corner downstairs and came face to face with Oliver Queen again, the warmth that ran through her being at the thought of Len turned into dark anxiety and a seeping sense of hatred that curled in her belly.

So Sara still hadn't completely gotten over Oliver's betrayal. Well, now was the perfect time to settle things with him. It was a horribly unpleasant thing, to keep being pulled back to the past when she had a future ahead of her.

Yes, it was true. It did aggravate her that Oliver had walked into her parents' home as if he were still a welcome visitor. Then again, Sara knew her parents wouldn't have let him in their home unless he pulled off a convincing argument or told them that he wanted to finally allow sleeping dogs to lie. Whatever the case, it still irked her to see him in the living room.

It was almost as if she'd stepped back in time and was fifteen all over again, excited as her boyfriend came to take her out on a date. Sara shook those thoughts from her mind. They wouldn't do her any good now. What's past was past and she needed to stop letting it haunt her.

She cleared her throat loudly and Oliver turned from his perch by the fireplace. He'd been looking at a picture that he'd taken of Sara and Laurel at the fair eight years ago. Even though the relationship between them was no longer existing, Sara kept the photo because it was honestly, one of the best times she'd ever had.

"Sara...it's so good to see you." Oliver's voice was filled with an emotion that she didn't want to understand.

Not missing a beat, she said, "I hope you're not looking expecting an apology for slapping you because you won't get one. I'm not sorry." The words were just a shade venomous, but Sara didn't care. She may have wanted to bury the hatchet with Oliver, but that didn't mean she had to be nice to him.

"Well, you're in luck because I wasn't expecting you to apologize. If anything I deserved that slap."

Whoa, what? Sara's eyes squinted as she blinked in surprise. That...was **not** what she expected him to say. She'd figured that he would have started out trying to make a plea for himself and justify his actions that night, like he would in normal Oliver fashion. However...something told her that this was not the same Oliver she knew five years ago. She heard the apologetic tone of his voice and it was not fake at all. Even his eyes and his body language sent her signals that this was, indeed, the real deal.

After several moments had passed, Sara cleared her throat and crossed her arms, still unsure of how to take this in. "So...you're telling me that you're here to bury the hatchet? There's nothing sneaky and underhanded behind your coming here?"

"No. Sara, I have a feeling that you're thinking I only came here to beg you to forgive me for what I did to you years ago or try to win you back. I'm not here for that."

"Oh. Good, because even if you did want me back, I would never take you." The smugness in Sara's voice couldn't be avoided by any means. Seeing him had brought up a lot of old feelings all at once.

He laughed."It's not like I _could_ take you back anyway. Even if I wanted to. I'm not available."

That was a little vague.

"Yeah? Are you and...Felicity still dating?" Even though everything that happened between them was years in the past, it still brought a little twinge in Sara's gut when she said Felicity's name. Old wounds never healed easily, especially not the ones that cut deep.

Oliver actually blushed an honest-to-God blush and he scratched the back of his neck. "No...we're, uh, we're married now. Going on two years."

 _Damn._ She definitely hadn't expected that. If anything, Sara believed that Oliver would have moved on by now and had a new girlfriend or two. Guess he finally found loyalty after all. Too bad she had to be steamrolled over for him to realize it.

Biting down that bitter thought, Sara gave him a small smile and nodded her head. "Wow...That's great. Congratulations."

"Thank you. I'm guessing that your family didn't tell you, given the nature of our break-up."

"Mm, well. That's what happens when your boyfriend who you're madly in love with cheats on you and then marries the girl of his dreams who was, surprise, the girl he cheated on you with. That's not exactly something you could just chat about over coffee." The smile on Sara's face faded a bit and she averted her eyes from Oliver.

That nagging little voice in the back of her head, the one that said, _don't be a bitch_ , started talking to her. Even though Oliver had treated her like crap, that was in the past. It was time for her to move on and live her own life. In order to do that, though, she needed clarity to help her make the first steps.

"Listen, Oliver. I'm not trying to act like a she-devil. The truth is, I was overwhelmed when I saw you earlier and I just...reacted. You're lucky that you weren't on the receiving end of my left hook." They both laughed at this and she put her hands in her pockets. "I forgave you a long time ago, but I don't think that I realized it until now."

The more she spoke, the easier Sara found it to relax. She stepped forward and gave Oliver a hard look. "I _do_ need to know why you did cheat on me. I mean, I think I at least deserve the right to find out why I was rejected like that. Was it because I was too wild for you?" She scoffed at this, knowing how ridiculous the words sounded once they left her mouth.

Oliver Queen was Star City's most notorious billionaire playboy, right beside Tommy Merlin. Well, Tommy straightened himself out sooner than Oliver did, which was a mark in _his_ favor. He was also dating Laurel and seemed to be living a very responsible and steady life. Sara was proud of him.

Then there was Oliver. Sara wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to look at him the same way agai-no, scratch that. She **knew** that she could never see him the same way anymore. There was too much bad blood between them. Betrayal was a hard thing to get over, and yes, Sara did forgive Oliver of his past... _indiscretion_ , but there were certain lines of loyalty that Sara expected from the people she loved. Oliver had violated that loyalty and trust and would, in all likelihood, never get it back.

"Did I, um...did I scare you into cheating or was it just a stupid, drunken haze you fell into and caused you to wind up inside Felicity's bed?" She crossed her arms and gave him her full attention, wanting to hear what he had to say.

Oliver took in a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if he were summoning the will to speak. Several seconds later, he met her eyes. "Sara, I've had a lot of time to think about why I cheated on you. It wasn't you that scared me, it was...the idea of being with you."

"The _idea_ of being with me?"

"Yes. You see, I was used to getting what I wanted, whenever I wanted it. I was a spoiled, rich playboy." He paused here to grimace before continuing. "

When we started dating, I figured that it wouldn't last long. My relationships - if you could even call them that - never lasted anyway and I liked the attention I got from them. Girls would flock around me because of my parents money and I was attractive to them, so I was never in need for female companionship. The point is, I was always in it for the sex, they were in it for the money. All of those 'relationships' were toxic, but I didn't care because I made it all about me."

He began to walk around the room, staring at the ground in front of him. Sara decided to remain standing, but she watched him curiously, wondering what else he had to say.

"I _used_ people, Sara. I used so many people in my life that, by the time I met you, I didn't believe that I deserved happiness. I knew that I was no good for you and I'm sure your family and friends told you to stay away from me." He stopped talking and gave her a questioning glance, silently asking her if that was the case.

She nodded.

"See? It was common knowledge that I wasn't worth the dirt underneath anyone's fingernails and the fact that your dad was a cop? It just made things worse on your end. I can only imagine how he must have felt, knowing that one of his daughters was dating someone like me."

"The night of that party, Tommy told me that I needed to end things with you because I would only drag you down with me. He was my best friend and he told me to leave you alone. When something like that happens, you know you're in bad shape."

Oliver remembered how he'd beat himself up over his feelings that night and drowned himself in alcohol so his inner demons wouldn't scream at him so loudly. It hadn't been long before Felicity showed up, all smiles and handed him another beer. Oliver wasn't stupid; he knew the girl had an interest in him. It was obvious by the way she looked at him whenever he was around.

Felicity was a bit of a party girl, just like Sara, and she had an obsession with stealing other girls' boyfriends away. Just like Oliver was notorious for being a playboy, she was notorious for being a homewrecker-in-the-making. In some twisted way, Oliver could see how they were alike in that respect. They both liked to use people and toss them away when they were finished. It was their shared mo.

Even though Sara was a bit of a wild child herself, she still had a strong moral center that would kick in when the time was right. It was ultimately, the thing Oliver loved and hated about her. Because she was still trying to be good in the midst of being a little bad, he knew that her heart really wasn't in the black sheep image she adopted. It was all an act.

Sara Lance may have had her own failings, but she was still uncorrupted. There were so many times that Oliver would try to goad or tease her into doing something illegal or something bad. Most of the time, she resisted, opting to stay in school, or stay at home late at night, which happened to be the times that he'd want them to go out and do something.

The more they were together, the more Oliver realized that he was no good for her. He knew that if he stayed in a relationship with her for much longer, he would end up ruining her life and making her hate him or she would leave him of her own accord, understanding that he was not good enough for her and move on. Both of those options were undesirable, so he took the coward's way out. He cheated.

When Sara caught them together, he didn't even feel bad about it. Rather, he felt an alien sense of relief. From then on, Sara could be free of him and he wouldn't sully her life with his existence anymore.

He thought to himself, _I could never do anything to deserve her love. I've done too much and I have a bad reputation. Maybe someday, she'll understand that I was saving her from unnecessary grief and forgive me. Someday..._

And here they were, standing in the Lances' family home and Sara had just said minutes ago, that she forgave him. His wish did come true after all, albeit, under different circumstances.

Oliver related all of these things to Sara and she took it all in quietly, without any interruptions. She was so different, so altered from the last time he had seen her. It was obvious that she'd become more mature now and that her old life as a party girl had been left behind long ago.

It took Sara several minutes before she felt comfortable to speak. With everything that Oliver had told her, she had a lot to contemplate. Clarity always helped even the most distressing situation, and this was certainly no exception.

"Thank you, Oliver...thank you for that. I never would have known that you believed you weren't good for me unless you told me." She breathed in slowly and laughed a little, wiping away the stray tear that spilled from her eye. She felt so much lighter now that the truth was out in the open. It was as if a heavy weight had lifted from her shoulders and she could rest easy now.

" _God_ , and to think I spent _two years_ stuck here pining after **you**! You didn't even deserve it!" She pushed his shoulder and gave him a tiny smile.

"Yeah, I really was an asshole, huh?"

"A **supreme** asshole...but that's all in the past now." She stepped forward and hugged him. To his surprise, he hugged her back and they pulled away after a short while.

"Well, I'd better go now. Felicity and I have an appointment at the doctor's office in an hour." He walked to the door and Sara followed him.

"Wait a minute, you didn't say that she was sick. Is she okay?" Felicity may have stolen Oliver away from Sara in the past, but that was all water under a tall bridge now, and it definitely didn't mean that Sara wanted any harm to come to Felicity.

At the urgent tone of her voice, Oliver laughed and patted her shoulder to reassure her. "Oh, no, no. She's fine. We're going in for an ultrasound actually."

"An ultrasound? Oliver, that's great! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. What about you? Are you and Leonard Snart together now?"

Sara's eyes widened and she looked upstairs involuntarily after hearing that name come from Oliver's lips. Where in the world had he gotten that idea? Maybe one of her relatives ran into him somewhere and told him that...but how could they when she had only just seen Leonard today?

"You're mistaken. Leonard and I aren't in a relationship at all. We're just friends."

The slight smile on Oliver's face made Sara's heart begin to beat fast. Why would he have mentioned she and Leonard being together if he didn't suspect something...?

"Bye, Sara," he said and his hand reached for the doorknob.

Sara put her hands on the door and she held it closed. "Wait...Oliver. Are you saying that you think that Leonard has feelings for me? Because that would be preposterous. I mean, we haven't seen each other in **years**! He always thought of me like a little sister! I don't have the time for a relationship anyway..." It occurred to Sara that she was really trying to explain to herself, and not to Oliver, that there was nothing between she and Leonard. Too bad it wasn't convincing.

Oliver sighed and put his hands on Sara's shoulders. She looked up at him with a confused expression in her eyes. He saw it and shook his head at her. After all of these years, he could still see the way she truly felt. Wisdom gave him a discernment that he never possessed as a younger man and now, he was going to use it to help her.

"Look, Sara. I'm not going to give you any advice on relationships. God knows I'm the _last_ person who could do that, but I'm a guy and sometimes, there are things I see in other men that may not be as obvious to a woman. Same goes for you. When I first pulled up to your house and started walking over to you, I noticed how tense Leonard became. The look on his face was not one of a man who was protective of a sister. He looked like a man who felt possessive towards his mate."

Sara gasped and her mouth dropped open in shock. "A-Are you serious?"

"I have no reason to lie to you." Oliver patted her should before stepping back and opening the front door. He turned back at her and smiled. "I don't think you believe any of that garbage either. You have feelings for him too, so tell him and see what happens. It can't hurt and since you've known him for years, it just might work out. Goodbye, Sara."

"Bye, Oliver..."

Sara closed the door and turned around, leaning against it. Part of her didn't want to believe what Oliver had told her, but she knew he was only speaking the truth. She felt a pull towards Leonard from the moment she saw him in her bedroom.

Before that, on the night Oliver cheated on her, she remembered how Leonard listened to her talk for hours until they both fell asleep. Somehow, through her drunken haze, she felt so cared for, so treasured in that moment. Could it have been love that started then?

The real question was, would she be willing to take a leap of faith based on her feelings for Leonard or would she back away like Oliver had and take the coward's way out, never knowing what could have happened if she had put her heart on the line?

"Sara?"

She looked up, a little startled, and saw Leonard coming down the stairs. As he came nearer, she let out a shuddering breath and her face grew into a beaming smile. Sara met him at the foot of the stairs.

Leonard had a pensive look on his face as he said, "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No. No, he didn't. In fact, he helped me see something that I should have seen a long time ago." She couldn't get enough of his brilliant blue eyes and she took another step forward, getting so close that their faces were mere inches apart.

"He _helped_ you? What do you mean by that?" The slight jealous tinge in Leonard's voice was unmistakable and Sara found it adorable how possessive he sounded. Oliver was right. Leonard _did_ have feelings for her.

She reached down and took his hand in hers and kissed it before meeting his eyes win her own again. Her thumb smoothed circles on his skin and Leonard's eyes darkened at the action. "I see someone so much clearly now than I ever did in my entire life. _You_."

At first, Leonard's face twisted in confusion, but then, his eyes widened at the realization of what she was saying. "Sara...do you mean...?"

Sara placed her finger in front of his lips and shushed him. "I should have know all along how you felt about me, but I was too silly to understand it." Her cheeks were as red as a tomato, but she continued to speak. "Len...I want you."

Leonard's lips parted but no words came out. Then he closed his mouth, opened it again, until finally, with a growl, he wrapped his arms around Sara's neck and held her body to his own. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, a kiss full of intensity that had been building up from the first moment Leonard walked into her bedroom.

As their mouths nipped, caressed and explored, Sara knew that there was no turning back, and she didn't plan to. This time she was going to make things right with Leonard, because, for once in her life, she felt like she had gotten the gold at the end of the rainbow. And he was worth **every** chance.


	6. It Must Be Love

**A/N: Well, after a long absence, I am back and this is the last chapter in the story! It's been such a great journey through and through and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it!**

xxxXxxx

 _Sara is finally graduating from college and all of the people she loves is there to witness this special moment. There is also a special confession she has to share with her boyfriend as well._

xxxXxxx

 _It must be love, love, love_

 _It must be love, love, love_

 _Nothig more, nothing less_

 _Love is the best_

\- Madness _'It Must Be Love'_

 **Epilogue**  
Six Months Later

Laurel squeezed her little sister's hand and gave her a smile. "You nervous?"

"Nervous? No way. I'm just walking across a stage. It's no big deal...okay, yes, I am nervous. I hate stages and there's probably going to be a million pictures taken." She popped a piece of gum in her mouth.

"Well, trust me. It's not as bad as you think. You'll be on the stage for...I'd say less than thirty seconds, then you can go sit down with your classmates. It's no different than high school graduations, except it's less fun." Laurel grinned at Sara and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you should also know that Mom is going to take a million pictures of you, so try to smile with those pearly white teeth."

Sara groaned and laid her head against Laurel's shoulder. Dinah Lance was an amateur picture taker and she loved taking photos of her family's achievements. For nostalgic purposes, of course, and there was nothing wrong with that. Except that, sometimes, Sara would prefer to stray away from the all-seeing camera lens without having to smile and look happy every second.

"Ugh, why couldn't she just be like a normal mom who takes five pictures at events and be done with it?"

"You know Mom is obligated to take more than the average amount of pictures today. Sara, you're graduating from college. A few years ago, we weren't even sure that you'd finish high school. Let her have her moment."

The younger Lance sister rolled her eyes. "It's supposed to be my moment...but you're right. I'm probably responsible for our parents' hair getting grey over the years, so I kind of owe them."

"Well, that's very grown up of you. And you're right. Between the two of us, you are definitely the one who caused the most headache for Mom and Dad."

Both sisters laughed. It had, indeed, been a long journey for Sara Lance. After all of the drama she'd gone through with Oliver Queen and attempting to hide her pain by partying, she'd finally gotten her mind free from the stress. The clarity that she received at the barbecue several months ago had been a long time coming, and once she'd gotten it, everything felt so much better.

One big change in Sara's life that weekend had been Leonard Snart. Her much-needed conversation with Oliver made the scales fall from her eyes and gave her the courage to tell Len how she felt about him.

Even though she was supposed to have stayed at home for three days, Sara stayed the entire week, so she could spend more time with Len. Telling him that she wanted him was one of the best things she ever did. After that confession, Sara and Len spent a romantic week in Star City, with Len taking her out to a new place every night. It was almost like a fairy tale.

* * *

When the morning of day came for her to go back to school in Central City, she didn't even want to get out of bed. When she opened up her eyes and found Len sitting down on her bed, smiling at her, her heartbeat began pounding in her ears.

"Len...what are you doing here?" She yawned and stretched before slowly sitting up.

Her boyfriend brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I told your parents that I would drive you back to Central City."

Sara couldn't help the grin that creeped onto her face. "And what happened to Lisa? We were supposed to take this road trip together, you know." She reached over and began to play with the hem of his t shirt.

"Well, I managed to persuade her that you could have a road trip some other time. We both do have apartments in Central City, you know. So if you ever want to crash at her place...or mine, you're welcome to." Len kissed Sara's neck and she sighed happily, sliding her hands up his shirt.

A fire sparked in Leonard's eyes and he looked down at her, his voice straining. "Sara..."

"Yes?" She responded teasingly as she tickled his skin. He had a very nice chest and she'd enjoyed exploring it over the past couple of days. Not that they had made love yet. Foreplay was as far as they got. Len had told Sara about how he didn't want to be intimate with a woman unless she were the real deal and she respected that.

Neither spoke about it, but both knew that they were each other's end all.

Len leaned down and gave her neck another kiss. "This feels great, but we really have to get you back to Central City. It's going to take more than nine hours to get there, so we might as well start now and get you there early. That way, you have time to settle in before school tomorrow."

He was right, of course. She really needed to get up and moving. Groaning, Sara gave Len a small kiss and pushed ball the covers. The time on her alarm clock read 8:17 am. "Ugh, Len, did you really have to get me up this early? It's barely eight o'clock." She got out of bed and yawned, going towards her closet.

"Yes, I had to. Your parents made you breakfast and they want to say their goodbyes. Between that and the occasional restroom breaks in the road, we'll get you in your dorm around seven."

"I love it when you talk like that. You thought of everything." She winked at him and pulled out a yellow blouse and a pair of black pants.

"Haven't I always? You're already packed, right?"

"Yes, my bags are in the foyer near the door."

"Alright. I'll go and put them in the car."

"Okay...oh, hey!"

Len stopped walking and turned around, hand on the knob of her door. "Yeah?"

"You aren't going to ditch me to face my mother's weepy farewell alone, are you?"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss that for the world."

As Len closed the door, Sara grinned to herself and began humming. Any man who could handle her parents was definitely a winner in her book.

* * *

"I wish Laurel had told me that she was going to talk to Sara. I would have gone with her." Len frowned as his girlfriend's sister made her way back to her seat.

Lisa poked her brother on the side. "You are acting like such a baby, Lenny. Really, is it going to kill you if you can't see Sara for a few hours? It's not as if you didn't see her earlier this morning. You made breakfast for her at your apartment, then drove her to this place. Geez, you haven't been dating for a whole year and you're acting like a man in love."

Len narrowed his eyes at Lisa. He hadn't expected her to say that. "I'm not in love. I just would have liked to say something to Sara before she graduated. I know she was nervous about the whole thing."

"Mm. Well, that's why Laurel went to talk to her, not you." Lisa put her feet up against the chair in front of her. "I gotta say, watching you and Sara makes my heart happy. I'm so proud of myself for bringing the two of you together."

"You can't take all of the credit, Lisa. Remember, I could have chosen not to go to the Lance's barbecue and I might have never ended up with her at all." Len was the last person who wanted to be indebted to his little sister. Not that he disliked her or anything. Indeed, he loved Lisa, but he knew how her mind worked. If she got it into her head that he owed her for something, she would find ways to drive him crazy until he admitted it.

"True...but, I am a very persuasive person and you always succumb to me. You can't help it. I'm your little sister. I was born with that kind of power over you." She reached into her purse and pulled out a bag of Cheetos.

"I'm not even going to argue on that point."

Lisa smirked and munched on a few on the cheesy orange snacks. "Of course you won't. Because you know that I'm right, and trying to challenge me won't work in this case."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, yes, you win by default. Now hand over of those Cheetos."

"Tsk, I should have figured that you'd want some." She reached into her bag and handed him his own bag of snacks so she wouldn't have to give him some of hers. Then she also pulled out a snickers bar, three pieces of lady gaffe and a small bottle of lemonade.

How in the world did she have the room for those things? "What the hell else do you have in there? A fire hydrant?" Len stared at her bag as if it were magical.

"Nope. I left that in my other bag. This is a tote, Lenny. An oversized purse. Really, they should just call them mini luggage bags because that's what these things are. They hold together well and you can dump almost anything in them."

Len opened his bag of Cheetos and chuckled. Woman had a lot of accessories, but purses were probably the best ones he could think of. "Now they need to come up with some sort of bag like that for men."

"They already did. Guys have backpacks, remember?"

He smirked. "No, those don't count because they aren't _stylish_ enough."

"Oh, shut up!" Lisa hit her brother on the head with a napkin.

Laurel came to sit next to Lisa and smiled. "Hey, guys. Ooo, are those Cheetos?"

Lisa dug into her tote and gave Laurel a bag. "Yup, here you go. Oh, do you want some peach slices too?"

"Oh, my God, yes. I love peach slices."

"Ha! I love peach slices, too!" Lisa handed Laurel a couple of napkins and a small bag of peach slices. Then she gave her a bottle of Lioton peach tea. "I know we both love peach stuff, so here."

"Hey, thanks!"

Len watched all of this with a shake of his head. It seemed that totes had no bottom to them. Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the crowds began to quiet. In a few minutes, the graduation would start. Dinah and Quentin walked over and sat down next to Laurel.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" Asked Laurel.

Dinah smacked Quentin's leg. The man just shrugged and acted nonchalant. "We planned to get drinks and snacks, but your father forgot his wallet, so we had to go back gome to get it. That, and the traffic was murder on the highway. Do any of you kids want something?" Dinah held out a bag of Slim Jims, dry roasted peanuts, next crackers, tiny bags of Cheez-Its, popcorn, Combos, corn chips, Reese's, Hershey's, and an assortment of Little Debbie snacks.

When Laurel, Lisa and Len saw the large quantity of snacks Dinah and Quentin bought, they snickered.

Laurel covered her mouth and whispered, "Mom, you're always so prepared."

Dinah rolled her eyes and shook the bag gently. "Yes, miss smart aleck. Thank you for that information, now do any of you want some snacks or not?"

Lisa held up her Cheetos bag, as did Laurel and her peach rings and Len held up his Cheetos and the bag of jelly beans that he,d sneaked out of his sister's tote when she wasn't looking.

"We're all good here," replied Lisa. "In fact, we may not even need to go out and eat after all. We can just stuff our faces with snacks for this whole graduation."

Quentin nodded. "That's a good idea, especially considering how many students are graduating today. We'll be here a while before we get to the Ls. Then, we'll have to stay for the speeches. Geez. Now I know why I fall asleep at these things."

"Oh, Quentin! Stop it! You know you're proud of Sara for coming this far."

"I never said I wasn't proud of her, honey. Of course I am, but I wish these graduations didn't take so damn long."

Dinah rolled her eyes and poked him. "I suppose you do have a point. I may just take a nap myself before this whole thing is over."

"Sara did say that we would have time for a nap because this graduation has more than four hundred students getting their degrees today. It's going to last four hours, maybe even five, so I'm definitely getting comfortable." Len chomped on a few jelly beans and slid down in his seat a little.

The band began to play low music and everyone stopped talking and turned their heads to watch the stage speaker approach the microphone.

* * *

Len was the first one to find Sara after the ceremony had finished. Before Quentin, Dinah, Laurel or Lisa stood up, he'd already gotten out of his seat and headed down the auditorium steps hurriedly.

Lisa nudged Laurel and said, "See? What did I tell you? He's whipped. Can't even wait a couple of minutes to her again. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up engaged before next year."

The older Lance sister grins and leans closer to Lisa, making sure her parents can't hear her as she replies, "Are you willing to bet on that?"

Lisa just smirked.

* * *

"Sara!"

The young blonde turned her head to search the crowds to the sound of the voice calling her. Once her eyes found him, she smiled widely. She ran to the figure and threw herself in his arms. "Len! I did it! I did it!" She squealed and laughed as her boyfriend held her close to him.

"I know! I'm so proud of you!" He said, squeezing her back gently.

Sara sighed and let herself rest in his embrace. "Thank you...but I couldn't have gotten through this without you."

"Me? What could I have done? You were already in your senior year when we saw each other again at the barbecue."

"I know, Len. Just listen. I'm used to pushing myself, being independent and not expecting help from people. I know it was my own fault for the crazy way I acted back in high school. I made an untrustworthy reputation and people didn't want to be around someone like me. But now, everything is different. I've redeemed myself from m past and my family trusts me again. For once in a very long time, I have you to lean on and my parents, Laurel and Lisa too. You all are my cheerleaders and without you, this wouldn't have been possible."

"You especially made the rest of this term so much lighter. You let me stay at your apartment more than a few dozen times, went over my homework with me when I needed it and gave me massages when I was feeling tense. You were there for me these past few months when I was at my low points. You never gave up on me and you kept encouraging me to keep going even when I felt like I was about to crash." A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she spoke.

Len didn't know how to reapond to that. He'd never had anyone tell him something so intimate before and it made him nervous, excited and curious at the same time. "So, what are you saying, Sara?"

Sara touched his cheek and looked into his eyes. Her heart pounded in her ears, but not out of fear, rather, of contentment. As she looked at her boyfriend, she knew that she was right where she wanted to be. This was _right_.

"Len...I'm saying that I love you." The words came out in a soft whisper, barely audible, but loud enough that he could hear them.

It wasn't easy for her to admit her feelings out loud like this, but she had and she wasn't sorry for it. These feelings had been growing inside of her for a long time and it was high time she let them out.

Sara took his hand in hers and smoothed small circles on the skin. "I want you to know that you don't have to say it back because I did. I just-I needed to-"

Len covered her lips with his finger and smiled. "I know, Sara. You don't have to explain. I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" Her eyes widened.

"Yeah, because I love you too."

"D-do you mean it?" Sara gasped the words out, her eyes wide as saucers.

The look on her face was priceless. Len ran his hand behind her head, slipping it into the silken floss of her golden locks. Her pink lips were pursed in the shape of a small 'O'. Len traced his forefinger over the plump flesh. "Hell, yes."

Tears spilled down Sara's cheeks and she gripped his shirt tightly. "Len..." Without another moment's hesitation, she pulled his head down to hers and pressed her mouth to lips. Their arms wrapped around each other as their lips caressed.

Standing there in Len's embrace, Sara'd never felt more happy there than she had in her entire life. This was where she wanted to be and where she would stay...forever.


End file.
